Partner with Life ~ Partner with Surprises

Do you like surprises or do surprises throw you off balance? I realize that I have some fear about being surprised. I want surprises to be planned! I have often heard it said that control is the master addiction. Or rather, the illusion of control is the master addiction. If you don’t like surprises you may want to look at your level of: acceptance, over-responsibility, personal responsibility, flexibility, trust, expectation, patience, judgment, and/or wanting “perfection”.

As shared in “Acceptance and Patience”, non-judgmental acceptance is a prerequisite for patience, calmness, happiness and successful personal and professional relationships. As shared in “Willful versus Willing”, willful is will-full; no room for intuition, to openly receive feedback and ideas, and has a closed energy. Willing is a state of readiness, openness, and flexibility. How accepting and willing are you to open into life’s inevitable surprises?

“The chemist who can extract from his heart’s elements compassion, respect, longing, patience, regret, surprise, and forgiveness and compound them into one can create that atom which is called love.” Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” Boris Pasternak (1890-1960)

“Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.” Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

“How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life.” Marcus Aurelius (121 AD-181 AD)

“Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” Mae West (1892-1980)

“Surprise yourself every day with your own courage.” Denholm Elliott (1922-1992)

“To truly partner with life one must partner with, even seek out, surprises.” Jo-Ann Downey